Spreading the Light through Clarification💡
Joined August 2021
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🧵Ghībah (backbiting) is to mention a Muslim, in their absence, by referring to a genuine fault, deficiency or undesirable characteristic that they possess, in a manner that they would dislike if they were to hear it.
It is a grave sin, and its severity is emphasised by Allāh in the Holy Qurʾān, where He compares backbiting to eating the flesh of one’s deceased brother.
Everyone knows that backbiting is among the major sins. However, there are certain circumstances in which it is permissible, and in some cases even necessary and rewarding, to mention another person’s faults.
𝟱) 𝗔 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝘀
If someone is an openly disobedient person (fāsiq muʿlin) who publicly commits sins and is widely known for them, it is permissible to mention those particular sins behind their back.
Such a person has openly removed the veil of modesty (ḥayāʾ) from their conduct by publicising their disobedience.
For example, if someone is publicly known for drinking alcohol, mentioning that he drinks alcohol would not constitute impermissible backbiting.
However, this exception is restricted to the sins that are actually public knowledge.
If four of a person’s sinful actions are widely known, but a fifth remains private and is known only to a handful of people, it would still be impermissible to disclose that fifth sin.
The exception only applies to the wrongdoing that the individual has openly publicised, not to their private shortcomings.
𝟲) 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻
The final circumstance is when mentioning a person’s physical characteristic is necessary solely to identify them, without any intention of belittling, insulting or humiliating them.
For example, if someone cannot remember another person’s name or face, they may say, “The slightly overweight man,” so that the listener understands whom they are referring to.
Similarly, one may say, “The bald person,” when this is the most effective way of identifying the individual.
Although these descriptions may refer to characteristics that a person might dislike being mentioned, they are permissible when used solely for identification and without any intention of ridicule or humiliation.
Nevertheless, one should avoid such descriptions whenever possible, particularly if one knows that the individual would be hurt or offended by them.
“The Prophet ﷺ had a thick and full beard, and likewise Abū Bakr. ʿUthmān had a fine and long beard, while ʿAlī had a broad beard that filled the space between his two shoulders, raḍiya Llāhu ʿanhum ajmaʿīn.”
— Al-Ḥāfiẓ Murtaḍā al-Zabīdī رحمه الله
If people can conduct themselves in such a manner in front of hundreds of others, one can only imagine how they behave behind a screen.
Before engaging in debates, one must first purify oneself and refine one’s character. Do not claim to be Salafi when you do not even adhere to the teachings of those very scholars from the Salaf who emphasised that adab must be acquired before anything else.
A woman’s patience is often exercised in ways that go unseen by those around her. Yet no hardship endured for the sake of Allāh is ever overlooked by Him.
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
“No fatigue, illness, sorrow, sadness, hurt or distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick of a thorn, except that Allāh expiates some of his sins through it.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5641-5642; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2573]
A believing woman should never consider her patience insignificant. Whether through hardship, motherhood, family responsibilities, illness or the trials of everyday life, she should hope for the reward of Allāh and remain steadfast upon her faith.
May Allāh Tabāraka wa Taʿālā grant them all beautiful patience, strength in hardship and immense reward in this world and the Hereafter.
Dear Wahhābīs, you cannot claim to be calling people towards the religion of Allāh whilst simultaneously disregarding the commands of Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ. Daʿwah is not a free-for-all in which people may adopt whatever methods they please. It has boundaries, principles and an established foundation in the Qurʾān and Sunnah.
What exactly is accomplished by laughing, joking and casually interacting with a ghayr maḥram kāfir athlete who was evidently looking her up and down with lustful intentions? Is this the standard of Islām you wish to present to the world? And would those who enthusiastically promoted her as one of their celebrated “female daʿwah figures” be just as accepting if their own wives behaved in the same manner?
Do people genuinely think this is something to take lightly? Hardly a day passes without another questionable figure appearing. Only recently, we saw a woman wearing niqāb while displaying heavy makeup on the visible parts of her face, simultaneously branding herself a “spiritual Salafī”.
Despite their differences in appearance and gender, these individuals share a common deficiency: an alarming absence of ḥayāʾ.
This is among the consequences of distancing oneself from the inherited tradition of mainstream Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamāʿah, with its inseparable emphasis on sound ʿaqīdah, adherence to fiqh and the spiritual purification cultivated through Taṣawwuf. When that tradition is abandoned, religious practice risks becoming stripped of the very spiritual refinement and modesty it was meant to cultivate.
Towards the end of his life, the great Ṣūfī Master and descendant of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, Sayyidunā al-Imām Abū al-Ḥasan al-Shādhilī, began to lose his sight, but that did not prevent him from confronting the Crusader forces under King Louis of France when he invaded Egypt.
Shaykh Abū al-Ḥasan, may Allāh sanctify his secret, along with his murīdūn (spiritual disciples) and other Awliyāʾ Allāh, upon hearing that the Ummah was under attack, immediately made their way to al-Manṣūrah to fight!
On the day of the battle, Imām al-Shādhilī mounted his horse with a sword in his right hand and a sword in his left hand, and rode into battle. When asked later, given his deteriorating eyesight, how he could have ridden into battle and acquitted himself so honourably on the battlefield, he simply pointed to his heart, saying:
“If the eyes of the heart sees clearly, what is the need of my eyes?”
King Louis was defeated despite his superior military power and was captured in the battle along with many of his generals.
Allāh granted the Muslims victory through the barakah and struggles of the noble Ṣūfiyyah.
طرفہ کہ چون آفتاب سایہ نداری و ہست
از تفِ خورشیدِ حشر از تو امانِ ہمہ
“How wondrous it is! Like the sun, you ﷺ have no shadow, and yet, against the scorching heat of the Sun of Resurrection, through you ﷺ there is safety for all!” ~ Amīr Khusro
Halloween seems to celebrate everything that should be kept far away from us: ghosts, witches, vampires, monsters, blood-covered costumes, devilish pumpkin carvings and the whole tradition of trick-or-treating.
One cannot help but wonder what kind of inspiration lies behind such a celebration. Perhaps whoever came up with it took a few lessons from Iblīs (Satan) himself.
No, thank you! We have no need to embrace satanic symbols or glorify such things. There are already more than enough devils walking among us as it is, and most of them happen to be wearing suits and ties.
Knowledge is not measured merely by how much one has memorised, but by how deeply it transforms one’s character.
ʿIlm without adab is knowledge deprived of its beauty. True knowledge should cultivate humility, reverence, gentleness and good character. The more one learns, the more one should recognise the importance of proper conduct towards Allāh and His creation.
Rasūl Allāh ﷺ said:
“The best among you are those who have the best manners and character.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 3559]
May Allāh Subḥānahu wa Taʿālā grant us beneficial knowledge, beautiful character, sincere humility and the adab of the righteous.
